A Short Song
by AlmondFresh
Summary: My first fan-fiction for Hyperdimension Neptunia. Just my take on Rei Ryghts' past and the past of Gamindustri in the Ultradimension. A leader of a city isolated by a dense forest is given a single chance at redemption through the entrance of a young girl from the outside world. Both their lives soon become intertwined, creating adventure and drama, and revealing Rei's dark past.


Looming clouds soared across the sky, overshadowing the moon above. With the city levelled and the population slaughtered, the wasteland was motionless save for the flickering of flames among the debris. The former market center was riddled with corpses, each scorched, bludgeoned, or dismembered. The once giant trees were now splintered across the ground. A wind blew gently over the flattened landscape, causing clouds of dust to dance along the dead. A smell of blood and ash floated in the air, burning the lungs with every inhale. Their city had become a warzone, destroying what was once peaceful lives. All was lost, and only the victor remained. The middle of the blood-stained battlefield presented a cyan haired maiden with staff at hand, muttering to herself, "Am I happy?"

"...Not in the slightest..."

* * *

**Prologue and Introduction**

Gamindustri, a land of mystery and treasures. A continent left unexplored by humans, with only bits and pieces of civilization scattered among the landscape. Plant life grew without hindrance creating dense, gargantuan forests with trees the size of skyscrapers. Animals that were left untouched grew to immense sizes, making adventuring a dangerous task. Helping the wildlife was the presence of a steady flow of magic that permeated the continent. Easily available for use by monsters and humans alike, magic became an integral part of the world around them. Humans used it to build villages and machines, while monsters harnessed their latent abilities to overcome competition and protect their species. The human race became dominated by magicians, and grew only under their watch, and monsters imbued with magic quickly out-competed their natural counter parts. However, while magic became a great power over time, a rise in technology among those whom could not produce magical abilities came to equalize the forces. Gamindustri rapidly became a land of innovation through rivalry, among magic users and technology users. Although the land was fraught with conflict, peaceful unions of magic and technology existed as powerful cities, the most famous being the city of Tari.

Tari, a city of growth and prosperity whose beauty was matched only by the mysteriousness of the forest that surrounded them. It was the 'jewel' held captive by dragons, so to speak. Only a decade had passed since the beginning of its time and towers had risen, factories created, and a governing body been put into place. The architecture of the buildings went from simple village bungalows made of straw and wood to steel-framed skyscrapers, strengthened by the use of magic. Its land slowly expanded into the unknown forest, but not without conflict against the beasts that lived in the wilderness. Their village of just a few hundred had grown to thousands through the integration of the villages within the forest. However, there had yet to be contact with beyond the forest. The city soon became a legend among those whom have never seen it and, despite its secluded area, never did the city of Tari sleep.

The city's streets bustled with unrivalled business. Farmers had their fresh produce for sale, tinkerers had automatons for public use, and magicians sold their services to those in need. Many people, veterans and newcomers, were easily tempted into creating a living there. Innovators, magicians, and leaders were all born and raised within its walls. Much of its advancement in technology had been made among its people and, when a foreigner stumbled upon their civilization, they easily integrated new ideas into their way of life. However, its isolated position left it thirsty for immigrants, only allowing those who survive the journey through the wilderness to feast upon its treasures. A perfect harmony of magic and technology allowed for unparalleled creations to be born, animated golems, self-repairing structures, anything a human wanted to create. The only limit was the creator's imagination.

Such a paradise could only be led by a benevolent ruler whose patrons rarely strayed from her word. The city of Tari, filled with business and beauty, was led by only one person, a young lady by the name of Rei Ryghts. Their civilization grew only under Rei's guidance and, as such, many chose to follow loyally. She oversaw the growth of the city, and consistently assisted her followers. It was not a rare sight to see her walk around the streets. She spoke with the citizens, and took interest in each one of their lives. Children would flock to her presence, all hoping to play with her for even a moment. Adults told of their most recent adventures and accomplishments, and all were met with praise or, for the more saddened, sympathy. The crowd she brought upon herself testified for the kindness of Rei and the city. Although, not everyone was good-willed, and there would be the occasional thief or bandit. Once caught, they would be immediately reprimanded by Rei. However, her anger was not directed towards them, but only to herself. She blamed their wrong doings as shortcomings on her behalf, and would soon forgive them for their crimes. Nevertheless, despite Rei's compassionate personality, she was not free from responsibility.

As the leader of Tari, Rei Ryghts had many objectives and goals planned for the development of the city. Her agenda included upgrades, improvements, expansions, but most importantly, the search of another city. A stable connection with a civilization would result in a chronological landmark in Tari's history. She did not know what awaited, only that she would be the one to discover it. It was the ninth year for the city, and for months had Rei placed government funds in exploration groups and search parties, but to no avail. Beasts of the forest killed or blocked any attempt at mapping the forest. Not a single man or woman made it back to the city alive. Any and all members of the groups were assumed to be slaughtered or had no method of return. The technology and magic of the city was no match for the sheer power of the masters of the wilderness. Soon after, a year had passed since her initial grasp for the outside, and the resources of the city were dwindling. Morale of the citizens slowly degraded, creating small opposing factions within the walls, but the majority of the population was still faithful to their leader. In a last ditch effort, a week before the tenth anniversary of the city, Rei had sent one last search party into the wild.

Seven days passed peacefully, and without news of the search party. Rei knew it was over. Their civilization was doomed to die isolated from the world outside. She regretted that fact, but decided to keep the dire news a secret. Today was a day of celebration, she reminded herself over and over, it has been a decade since the creation of the city. No need for moping, she thought, the festivities shall-, no, must happen!

The celebration began soon after noon, and continued quickly into the night. Games, attractions, stalls, and decorations lined the streets of the city. Streamers hanged from building to building, balloons tied to roofs and the hands of children, candles and lanterns lit up the street, confetti covered the street, and music could be heard from all directions. Kids played with each other, running around joyfully, neglecting life's hardships. Adults joined in the fun, chatting and committing their own shows of horseplay every so often. Young lovers took to their houses and secluded alleyways for a night of passion. Not one person in Tari was excluded from the festivities, whether they liked it or not. The city united that day for a party like none other, and yet Rei continued to feel alone that night.

One tradition the city held for this event was for the leader to officially close the city-wide celebration. Every year, Rei had motivating speeches, or dramatic performances in store for the closing ceremonies, but this year was different. She was caught off-guard by the lack of response from the outside. Rei did not have anything fun or uplifting prepared Instead, it was a speech of regret and disappointment.

The clock had turned to an hour before midnight, and the city had gathered to the market center. It was time to break the news. Rei treaded up to her podium, papers in hand. An audio amplifier sat on the desk in front of her. One deep breath, inhale, exhale. The crowd restlessly stared her down, unknown to the terrible news ahead. Talking into the amplifier, she started,

"Greetings citizens of Tari. Despite our night of play, I have some important news to announce."

She paused for a moment. The crowd went silent, awaiting her continuation. Her hands began to shake.

"I- I know we have spent a great deal of time looking for a world outside of our forest," she continued, but looked down at the desk, eyes watering, "and our efforts have not come far. But..."

Rei mumbled off. An uneasy silence blew over the crowd. Then, she stammered out, "B-but I believe one more ex-expedition is all we need!"

"One? One more?! How many people do you think we lost?!" A call from within the crowd interrogated Rei.

"Y-yes. Please don't yell." she begged, as she began to cry.

"Remove that lady!" A man's voice from the crowd had yelled, "She isn't fit to lead our city!"

"W-wait! I c-can explain!" Rei called out into the crowd, wiping her tears, hoping they would hear her.

A voice in a different direction called out, this time a woman, "Explain for the deaths of our sons and daughters?!"

"And all for naught!" An older man closer to the stage had exclaimed, "Where is this world you speak off?"

Soon, the crowd began chatting amongst them selves.

"What if Rei is doing this selfishly?"

"Rei is doing this for us!"

"A world beyond the forest, that's crazy!"

"You're the crazy one!"

"Who put this lady in charge?"

Slurs and attacks on Rei and her supporters flooded the air, and she began to weep, her faint voice falling on deaf ears,

"P-please, people... just one more chance."

The crowd began to fight amongst themselves. A group of them had painted Rei as their target. A man clad in a soldier's uniform stepped up from the podium behind her. Sticks and rocks were being thrown. Daggers were being pulled. Chaos had ensued.

"Citizens, please!" he cried out, "Our search party has returned!"

The crowd slowly started to settle. Their attention tuned to the male speaker. News of a search party? Even Rei was surprised. The man continued excitedly,

"And they have brought back a citizen from the outside!"


End file.
